Apparatus for annealing glassware



June 15 1926. 1,588,603

` V. MULHOLLANI? vAPPARATUS FOR ANNEALNG GLAsswARE Filed August 27, 11,925v

LLM@ fnvn for Patented June 15, 1926.

l UNITED vSTATES PATENT oFFicE.

VERGIL MULHOLLAND, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HARTFORD- EMPIRE COMPANY, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 01'*l DELAWARE.

'APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE.

Application led August 27, 1925. Serial No. 52,751.

The invention relates to apparatus for annealing glassware, and it has particular relation to lehrs of the tunnel type, through which articles of glassware are transported by an endless conveyor, and in which they are subjected to varying temperature environments, in order to relieve stresses andstrains that may exist in the ware or that may develop therein after the ware is removed from the molds of the shaping machine.

One of the objects of the present invention is to improve upon the qualityv of annealing by providing a lehr of the character described having a plurality of heating fines associated with the walls of the tunnel, certain of which flues communicate with a fire box located adjacent to the entrance end of the tunnel, while certain others communicate with a fire box located at a point remote from the entrance end of the tunnel. The heated gases generated by the lire boxes are caused to fiow through their respective fines in opposite directions, and by regulating either the intensity vof the combustionin the fire boxes or the drafts in their associated' tlues, or both, the temperature in the tunnel may be caused to either rise or fall from the entrance end of the tunnel toward the exit end, and also by suitably regulating the combustion and draft, the drop in temperature of the heated gases from one fire box may be oit-set or compensated for by a proportionally higher temperature 'produced by the gases from the other fire box, wlth the result that a substantially uniform temperature, both in vertical .and longitudinal d1- rections, may be obtained in that zone of the tunnel situated between the tire boxes.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a da rammatic vertical 1ongitudinal sectional View of the forward half of a lehr embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the rear half of the lehr shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. L

Referring to the drawings, a lehr tunnel l is constructed of a plurality of substantially similar interchangeable sections 2 arranged in end-to-end relation, and is suported at intervals upon pedestals 3. Heating lines 4 and 5 extend longitudinally beneath the forward and 'rear portions of the -mon fire box 7 which is located beneath the lehr at a point remote from the entrance end of thetunnel. Dampers 8 and 9 are provided m the iiues 4 and 5, respectively, at each side of the point where the passageway 6 communicates with these flues and may be selectively adjusted to independently regulate the drafts in these iiues.-

Heating flues l() also extend longitudinally above the forward portion of the tunnel 1 and communicate at their forward ends with the forward ends of the heating iues 4 through damper-controlled passageways 11. The flues 10 also communicate through a damper-controlled passageway 13 with a fire box 12 located above the lehr adjacent to the entrance end of the tunnel. Cooling fiues 14 extend longitudinally above the intermediate and rear portions of the tunnel and communicate with the outer atmosphere adjacent to the exit or delivery end of the* and 12, and the cooling air from the outeratmosphere, are drawn throu h their respective heating and cooling ues 4. 5, 10 and 14 by a motor driven suction fan 19, which is' mounted upon the tunnel adjacent to the exit end thereof (Fio. This fan communicates with a wind box 20 which in turn communicates with the iiues 5, through vertical branch pipes 21 disposed one on each side of the tunnel, and a damper-contrtlled passage 22 disposed beneath the tunne. i

The wind box 2O also communicates with a wind pipe 23, which extends longitudinally above the tunnel, and which communicates with the heating flues 10 through a damper-controlled stack 24 and with the cooling flues 14 through the stacks 18.

The location and arrangement of the flues 4, 5, 10 and 14frel'ative to the fan 19 and the location of the points where these fines communicatewith the fan and with the atmosphere is such that the action of this fan draws -a portion of the heated gases from the lire box 7 through'the flues 4 toward the entrance end of the lehr, thence upwardl through the passageways 11 and rearwardly through the iues 10, the stack 21 and wind. pipe 23. Another portion of the heated gases generated by the fire box 7 is drawn through the lues 5 toward the delivery end of the lehr, thence through the passageway 22, and upwardly through the pipe 21. A

`The heated gases from the tire box 12,

ltogether with those drawn from the tire box 7, through the passageways 11, are also drawn rearwardly, that is, toward the discharge end of the lehr, through the heating lines 10 and-the wind pipe 23. Cooling air from the outer atmosphere is drawn through the lues 14 in a forward direction and flows into the wind pipe 23 through the stacks 18. Cooling air from the outer at- 'mosphere is also drawn through the rear portionv of the fines 5 in a forward direction, from an inlet 25 (Fig. 2) and augments the effect of the cooling air in the lines .14 adjacent to thedischarge end of the tunnel where it is desired to accelerate the cooling of the annealed ware.

The top, bottom and side walls of .the tunnel, throughout the greater portion of its length, are covered b suitable heat-insulating'material 26 in or er to minimize the dissipation of heat therefrom. This covering preferably decreases in thickness toward the rear end of the tunnel, and terminates va short distance from the dischar e end of the tunnel, so that the cooling o this portion of the tunnel may be assisted by the radiation of'heat from the walls thereof.

Glassware is transported through the tun'- nel by an endless conveyor 27, the ware-bearing strand of which traverses the tunnel and is supported therein throughout its length and breadth by the flat bottom thereof, and the idle strand of which returns to the entrance end of the tunnel beneath the lehr, and is supported at intervals therebeneath by rollers 28. -This conveyor may be of any referred construction and may be driven y any suitable'mechanism, not shown.

By suitably adjusting the dampers 8 and 9 in the heating fines 4 and 5 and the damp ers in the passagewa s 6, 11 and 13, the drafts in the heatlng ues may be independently controlled at will and by suitably adjusting the dampers in the stacks 16, 17 and 18 the amount of diluting and coolin air admitted into the iiues 5 and 10 an the amount of cooling air withdrawn from the cooling iiues 14.- may be also controlled at will. The location of such admissions and withdrawals ma also be selectively oontrolled, as desired7v v The illustrated embodiment ofthe invention may be modified in construction, arrangement and mode of operation without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: j

1. Apparatus for annealing glassware comprising a tunnel, a plurality of flues associated with said tunnel, a fire box communicating with one of said iues at a point adjacent to the entrance end of said tunnel, a fire box communicating with another of said lues at a point remote from the entrance end of said tunnel, and means for causing heated gases to iow through the portions of said lues located between said tire boxes in opposite directions with respect to each other.

2. Apparatus for annealing glassware comprising a tunnel, a flue extending longitudinally along a wall of said tunnel, a fiue extending longitudinally along another wall of said tunnel, a tire box communicating with one of said flues at a point adjacent to the entrance end of said tunnel, a lire box communicating with the other of said flues at a point remote from the entrance end of said tunnel, and means for causingheate'd gases to flow through the portions of said flues vlocated between said fire boxes in opposite directions with respec-t to each other.

3. Apparatus for annealing glassware comprising a tunnel, a flue extending longitudinally above said tunnel, a flue extending longitudinally below said tunnel, a lire box communicating with one of said flues at a point adjacent to the entrance end of said tunnel, a fire box communicating with the other of said flues at a point remote from the entrance end of said tunnel, 'and means forv causing heated gases to flow through the portions of said iues located between said) tire boxes `and in opposite directions with respect to each other.

4. Apparatus for annealing glassware comprising a tunnel. a flue extendingllongitudinally above said tunnel, a lue extending longitudinally below said tunnel, a fire box communicating with the upper flue at a point adjacent to the entrance end of said tunnel,.a tire box communicating with the lower Hue at a-point remote from the entrance end ofl said tunnel, and means for causing heated gases to tiow through the portions of said flues located between-said tire boxes in opposite directions with respect to each other.

5. Apparatus for annealing glassware, comprising a tunnel, a plurality of tlues associated with said tunnel and extending lon itudinallythereof, a tire box communieating with each of said dues, and means for causing. heated gases from one of said fire boxes to floja7 in .one direction in the lilues communicating therewith and the gases from the other of said fire boxes to divide and iow 1n opposite directions in `the flues com-1 municating with such lire box.

6. A lehr comprising a tunnel, a flue associated therewith, and means for causing heated gases to How through a portion of said flue to heat a portion of said tunnel and for causing a cooling medium to flow through another portion of said Hue to cool another portion of said tunnel.

7. A'lehr comprisinga tunnel. a flue as-` sociated therewith, and means for causing heated gases to iow through a portion of said flue to heat a portion of said tunnel and for causing a cooling medium to flow through another portion of said fiue in a direction opposite to that of the flow of said gases to cool another portion of said tunnel.

8. A lehr comprising a tunnel, a fiue associated therewith, and means for causing heated gases to flow through a portion of said iue to heat a portion of said tunnel and for causing cooling air to iiow through another portion of said ue to cool another portion of said tunnel.

9. A lehr` comprising a tunnel, a flue associated therewith, and means for causing heated gases to iow through a portion of said flue to heat a portion of said tunnel and for causing cold air from the outer atmosphere to How through another portion of said flue in a direction opposite to that of the iiow of said gases to cool another portion of saidl tunnel.

l0. A lehr comprising a tunnel, a fiue disposed beneath said tunnel, means for causing heated gases to flow through a portion of said flue to heat a portion of said tunnel and air from the outer atmosphere to flow through another portion of said ue in a direction opposite to that of the flow of said gases to cool another portion of said tunnel, and means for controlling the volume of'air admitted to said flue.

11. A lehr for annealing glassware, coniprising a tunnel, and means for causing a heatin medium and a cooling medium to flow ajacent to diierent -portions of a wall of said tunnel to respectively heat and cool different zones in said tunnel.

12. A lehr for annealing glassware, comprising a tunnel, and means for causing a heating medium and a cooling medium to iow adjacent to dierent portionsy of a wall of said tunnel and in opposite directions with respect to each other to respectively heat and cool different zones in said tunnel.

Signed atHartford, Connecticut, this 25th day of August` 1925.

VERGIL MULHOLLAND. 

